Sharetribe is infinitely customizable with code. No matter the feature or change you need, it is always possible to achieve it with custom development. Any developer with experience building web applications can use Sharetribe to build custom marketplace features, but we recommend hiring a verified Sharetribe Expert. Sharetribe Experts are freelancers and agencies from all over the world with proven experience building marketplaces with Sharetribe.

Use this marketplace to submit your feature requirements and receive proposals and inquiries from Sharetribe Experts interested in the project.

We require that you start a free Sharetribe trial account and test the no-code features of Sharetribe before using this marketplace. Experts extend Sharetribe starting from the out-of-the-box capabilities, so understanding the beginning point is critical to specifying well what should be built. Start your free trial here.

You don’t need to code anything to build and operate a Sharetribe marketplace. Custom coding can be the next step when your marketplace needs changes or features that are not possible with the no-code builder.

No matter the size of the project, using custom code in your live marketplace always requires the Extend plan. So consider carefully when investing in custom coding makes sense for your business. Learn more about the costs of custom coding.

With personal experience of using Sharetribe, you’re well positioned to specify your requirements to Experts clearly and concisely. You’re not committing to custom development by submitting your requirements, receiving a proposal, or speaking with developers. Custom development only starts when you sign a contract with an Expert.

The next section will show you step-by-step how to submit your requirements and how to review proposals from Experts.

1. Create an account

Create an account in the Sharetribe Experts marketplace by clicking “Sign up” in the top bar. Choose the user type “Marketplace founder”. Or click on this link to go directly to the founder signup.

Creating an account is quick and easy: just enter your email, name, and a password, and click to sign up. Verify your email address and you’re ready to move to step two: submitting your feature requirements.

2. Submit your requirements

Click “Submit your requirements” on the landing page or the top bar. You’ll be directed to a form where you can specify your marketplace name, feature requirements and customization needs, and define a budget and timeline. The form has two steps: Details and Visuals.

Submit request details

The clearer your requirements, the more accurate proposals you’ll get. Here are some pointers and examples to help you create your request.

Marketplace name: Add your marketplace’s name or working title if you haven’t decided on a name yet.

Your marketplace URL: The URL of your live or test marketplace.

Describe your project or feature needs: Here’s where you share what you would like to add or change in your current Sharetribe marketplace. You might just want to add one crucial feature in the beginning or start a more comprehensive customization project.

If you have a list of features and changes, start with your most important requirement.

If you’re looking to customize more comprehensively, describe the marketplace you’d like to build. For example, you could divide your requirements to the following sections:

1. Design (UI): Visual design changes would you like to make. Or would you be interested in hiring a designer to customize your marketplace? You can also input images in the next step of creating a request.
2. User journeys (UX): Changes you’d like to make to the signup, listing creation, or search and matching. For example, add a subscription or verification step to onboarding. Or only allow listing creation to users who sign up as sellers.
3. Transaction process: Changes you’d like to make to the transaction process. Are there specific steps you’d like to add or remove? How would you like transactions to happen on your platform?
4. Third-party integrations: Other apps and services you want to integrate with your marketplace. For example, a third-party payment provider, verification software,

Sharetribe’s Help Center has a great article on how to prepare requirements for a developer, if you’d like to learn more about describing your customization needs.

Project scope: Choose the one that fits best from the provided options.

• Small: This scope means a simple task or specific feature addition, no design changes
• Medium: Several features or more general objective to achieve
• Large: A more complex project, often includes design changes

Your budget: Choose the one that fits best from the provided options.

• $500 - $2,500
• $2,500 - $5,000
• $5,000 - $10,000
• $10,000+

It is possible that an Expert reaches out to you with a quote that doesn’t match your desired budget. If this happens, you can ask the Expert about their estimated quote and the work it includes if you decide to meet. You can always negotiate a smaller initial project with them and move to the rest of your requirements later.

When do you want to get started? Choose the one that fits best from the provided options.

• As soon as possible
• Not urgent, but soon
• Later, I’m just exploring

Submit visuals

Add one or more images of your marketplace to your request. These can be mockups, design plans, moodboards, or a slide from your pitch deck. The image has to be in .png or .jpg format and can’t exceed 20MB in size.

You must upload at least one visual to submit your requirements. If you do not have any visuals related to your requirements, you can use your marketplace logo.

Then, click Publish request. The Sharetribe team will review it and pass it on to Experts.

3. Get proposals

Once your request has been published, you’ll receive proposals from Experts based on the details you shared about your requirements.

You can review the proposals in your email inbox or on the marketplace. Use the contact details provided to book a call or send an email to learn more from the Expert. In your email inbox, keep an eye out for emails sent from hello@sharetribe.com with the subject line “You have received a new proposal”: this means you’ve received a new proposal.

Alternatively, you can respond directly in the message conversation with the Expert on the marketplace.

Every proposal will have contact details you can use to learn more about the Expert and their offer. Typically, founders meet and discuss with two to four Experts before deciding how to proceed.

4. Close the request

Once you’ve found an Expert you’ll work with, close the request in your requests page. This way, you won’t receive further proposals. Experts can no longer see it or submit proposals through it.

You close a request on your requests overview page. The Sharetribe team also closes old requests on the marketplace periodically, but the timeline for this is several weeks after the request was submitted.

If you didn’t find a suitable developer through the Sharetribe Experts Marketplace, contact the Sharetribe team through the contact widget in the bottom right corner of Console or by sending an email to hello@sharetribe.com to discuss your requirements. We’ll be happy to help you find a developer or designer among Sharetribe’s Experts.